Inspiration Station - The Transitional Period Pt 4 (Becoming The Butterfly)

Ever wonder why life's uncomfortable middle seasons last so much longer than you expect? The answer might transform how you view your current struggles.

The gap between who you were and who you're becoming isn't just empty space—it's the crucible where your character is formed. Using the powerful metaphor of a caterpillar's transformation into a butterfly, we explore why transition periods feel disorienting yet produce our greatest growth.

Drawing from the biblical journey of the Israelites, we see how an 11-day trip extended into years because character development had to precede their promised destination. Your current transition might be frustrating, but it's cutting away what would only limit you later—rebellion, distrust, pride, and outdated perspectives that no longer serve your future. Like Abraham leaving his familiar surroundings without knowing his destination, we must sometimes release past attachments to embrace new possibilities.

When you leave your comfort zone, you return with expanded vision. I share how leaving my beloved New York hometown gave me fresh perspectives that wouldn't have been possible had I remained in familiar surroundings. True growth requires new vantage points that only transition can provide.

If you're currently navigating change, remember these three essential practices: embrace the silence instead of filling it with noise; don't overextend yourself by rushing the process; and most importantly, be gracious with yourself through inevitable mistakes. Your transition takes exactly as long as necessary to build the character required to hold your future achievements.

The uncomfortable middle isn't your enemy—it might be your best friend. It never lies to you, always develops your character, and prepares you for transformation. What if the transition you've been resisting is actually the doorway to everything you've been wanting?

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and let us know how these insights on transition are resonating with your own journey.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Audio-Only Format
• 2:00 Transition: Change and Growth Together
• 4:13 Character Formation During Transition
• 6:30 Releasing Past Attachments
• 9:11 Transition as Your Best Friend
• 12:19 Tips for Navigating Transition Successfully

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:08

Welcome to the World of Warcraft. Today we are going to play a game called Warcraft 3. The game is called Warcraft 3. The game is called Warcraft 3. The game is called Warcraft 3. The game is called Warcraft 3. The game is called Warcraft 3. The game is called Warcraft 3. The game is called Warcraft 3. The game is called Warcraft 3. The game is called Warcraft 3.

Speaker 1: 0:39

Welcome back to the Inspiration Station, and they call me Mr U. Thanks again for making us part of your week. We'll be watching and listening to this broadcast. We thank you.

Speaker 1: 0:48

In case you haven't been made aware, we are taking a different step in regards to the work that we're doing with the Inspiration Station. We are going audio only. We're excited about that because it gives us a chance to really feel like we're connecting. I know video is the new craze and everything, but I really feel like, for those that are watching and listening a long time, you know what you do. In the busy lifestyle you have, it seems like it's still resonating with you what we're doing through this broadcast and through this podcast. So thank you again for continuing to watch Well, in this case, continuing to listen to the Inspiration Station. We got some videos here and there on YouTube and we have some pop-ups down the road here and there, but primarily we're going audio only, just so you know. So thanks for your support on this and please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Let us know what you think about the show, myself as a host, and the topics that we talk about.

Speaker 1: 1:40

We're going to finish up our series, if you will, on transition. It's the kind of topic and series that it really seemed to ruffle a lot of feathers, because this is the kind of work that a lot of people don't want to put in and it's the kind of work that myself, as a coach or anybody that's a mentor or leader in any respect, you are pretty much demanding that from people that you're out to help, because you recognize that without walking through the transitional periods in life, the person you're trying to help is guaranteed to not get to where they're trying to get to. I have plenty of friends, mentees, past and present, who we've had this kind of conversation with them and they know that the transition is nothing to be afraid of, but it must be embraced. To many, the word transition means something profound, something incredible and enlightening. To some, it may mean something that's disheartening and disorienting, off-putting, but most people agree that transition is change and personal growth happening simultaneously. It's change and growth happening at the same time. I love the caterpillar butterfly analogy. You understand how it works. You got a visual in your head. Now, since you can't see me Work with that, use it as you will. But one of the things that we've been discussing and we'll try to put a cap on all we've been talking about with the transitional period and everything related to that, excuse me. We recognize that in this time frame of transition, it's a growth period. It's an opportunity for change and development.

Speaker 1: 3:38

In my assessment, all the scriptures that we gave in the previous series, what I saw were elements of character formation in the transition. See, the person that's in the transition doesn't think about the fact that their character is being formed. Using the children of Israel again as an example, they came out of bondage and slavery. There was a horrible situation. Let's not sugarcoat it. It was awful, it was horrific, no-transcript. But even coming out of that, even though they were, in ways, victims of this abuse and bondage in the transition, before they got to the so-called promised land, the land of milk and honey, the land of freedom and liberty. Their character had to be formed years instead of the 11-day journey that was originally planned out. That they originally had on their GPS was because characters had to be formed. People had rebellion in their heart. People had distrust in their heart. People had a bad, me-first attitude in their heart. They had pride and arrogance in their heart and that kind of stuff had to be worked out of them before they go into a promised land and potentially ruin it and ruin a whole nother brand new generation.

Speaker 1: 5:06

So in the transition, if you're struggling with that and I'm not speaking to anybody in particular, I know a lot of folks that watch and listen to our shows. I'm not speaking to you specifically but if you're in a transition right now and you're struggling with that place, you're getting frustrated, maybe you're getting flat out mad. This is the time for your character to be formed. I know you're great and beautiful and all of that stuff, but this is a time in this transition, in this transitional period, where, before you get the transformation, all the good stuff you want to get to your character needs to be formed. There's some things being cut off of your life, cut off of your mindset, cut out of your heart. That's not good, that was never good, and all it's going to do is hinder you if it's not removed from your life, hinder you if it's not removed from your life. The transitional period that in between, between your past and your future, does a fantastic job of cutting away that old stuff so you can move forward.

Speaker 1: 6:10

Sometimes it's not just character formation. Sometimes it's about the attachments that you have. If you go back to the story of Abram in the book of Genesis, you see that he had to leave his family, who were rampant, all out, flat out idol worshipers. He had to leave them and take a journey to a destination that he was not provided. So he had nothing to put in his GPS. He had no idea where he was going. All he knew was he had to leave everything and everybody that was familiar. If you read the account, you know that he kind of took some liberties when it came to who he took with him. But the bottom line was that in that journey he had to form his character. In that journey he had to release the past attachments, because those things brought with it mindsets and behaviors and habits that would have hindered what his life was about to become. So it's not just character formation. It's also removing and releasing the past attachments. It's also making space for new ideas and new concepts, new perspectives.

Speaker 1: 7:19

I tell you the truth even though I love my hometown, I love my city in New York, I won't let nobody talk bad about New York in front of me, especially if you haven't been for a significant amount of time either, if you haven't been at all, I won't let you talk bad about my city. But even though it's my hometown, when I was there, when I was living there, in the situation that I was in, I had a certain perspective. When I left my hometown and moved south to Florida and moved south to South Carolina, when I moved, when I went back to New York to visit, my perspective was different. That's because I saw other things. I saw other places. I met different people with different situations in their life. I heard different compelling stories. I heard stories of faith and resilience and breakthrough. When I went back, my mindset was different. There were certain things I still had to be aware of being in my hometown and all the things that go with the environment, but I had a different perspective. I came back with new ideas, came back with new thoughts, new concepts, a new way of viewing that situation that I lived in for the majority of my life.

Speaker 1: 8:51

When you're in transition, it's an opportunity for you to share some old ideas share some old wineskins, if you will and adopt some new ways of thinking about things. Some new ideas, some new concepts, a new viewpoint, a new vantage point on your life. A new viewpoint, a new vantage point on your life. If you go into a transition and you come out of it the same way, you've wasted that teachable moment. You wasted that teaching opportunity and your heart because you're allowed to be rigid and cold and unyielding. You missed out on an opportunity to grow into something that you say you want it all this time, all these years, all these decades. That transition is not your enemy. The transition is your friend.

Speaker 1: 9:34

If you have a friend in your life right now, you can point out somebody you call your best friend or your second best friend, however you categorize it. If you can think of that person right now, envision that person right now your best friend in the whole world. Even if it's not your spouse, maybe if it's somebody else outside of your marriage, that's your best friend. You grew up together, You've been friends for years, what have you If that person and this is not a commentary on your specific situation, of course I don't know what that is, but if your best friend does not help to form your character, if your best friend doesn't cut on you and tell you the truth when you're acting a fool out here in these streets, if your best friend doesn't tell you and call you on your own mess, if your best friend cannot be honest with you and say you know what? The path you're getting ready to go down is not the one. You're going down the wrong road. You're going to be in trouble if you keep doing this. If your best friend can't tell you the truth and be honest with you and love you, then that's probably not your best friend.

Speaker 1: 10:38

The transitional period that we've been talking about for days or so now, that's your best friend in this situation, because the transition period is never going to fail you. It's never going to lie on you. It's going to always cut on you. It's going to help you develop your character. It's going to always help you cut away the old mindsets, the old attachments, the old ideas, the old memories, the old junk, the old relationships and help you get to the place of transition and change. That's what transition is supposed to do In this entire series. That's the point we've been trying to get to all this time that transition is your friend, not your enemy. Transition helps you change and grow at the same time. It may feel disorienting. It may feel a little bit disheartening because you're not seeing the changes you want to see at the pace you want to see them in. But your transition is your friend. A few tips before we get out of here. If you're in the transition and you are dealing with all of the things that go with it, the pressures and all the feels that go with transition Number one embrace the silence.

Speaker 1: 11:52

Don't be afraid to say you know what. Give me some time to process this. Give me some time to meditate on what's actually happening. Sit with it for a minute before you decide to go make a big power move. Sit with it for a minute and think things over. Write some things, some ideas down. Write some pros and cons on a piece of paper. Look at what the cost is for the decision that you're thinking about making. But block out the noise, whether it be people's voices and their opinions and their commentary, whether it be social media, whether it be television and what have you? Media whether it be television and what have you? Block out the noise. Embrace the silence. Don't be afraid of it. Embrace the silence and allow it to help you make solid decisions and get in touch with who you need to be in this transitional period.

Speaker 1: 12:40

Second thing don't overextend yourself. There's no need for you to go and make big brass decisions in this training process. This is a place for you to learn, a place for you to grow. You can't measure this transition against your friend's transition or your cousin's transition or your associate's transition. You can't tell how long yours is going to be and how long it's going to take you. You have the power to decide that, but don't allow it to be something you compare with others. Don't overextend yourself. Take the time that you need to get what you need to be the person that you need to be on the other side of your transition, because you may want things that are way bigger than the person next to you, on your left or to your right. You may want something that's huge and it's going to take character to hold that. That's a concept that we always seem to miss, for some reason. We need character to help us hold a great thing that we want to accomplish. I don't care if it's a large company, I don't care if it's a fleet of trucks, I don't care if it's a strip mall that you're going to own, I don't care if it's a Fortune 500 company or a great invention that's going to change the world. You need character to hold all that stuff, alright.

Speaker 1: 13:52

Last thing, and it's very, very important Be gracious and kind to yourself. Again, you heard it for all these years, but nobody's perfect, and neither are you, and nor will you be perfect at any point in time while you're walking through this transitional period and while you're growing here on Earth with the rest of us. So be kind to yourself, be patient with yourself, be gracious. You're going to make mistakes, you're going to mess up, but it's okay. Be gracious with yourself. It's totally fine. It's going to happen to all of us, but you're going to be much better for it on the other side of this transitional period. Thanks for watching and listening. Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and thanks for downloading our show. Have a great day.